Normandy Breakout
The Normandy Breakout was the turning point of the Western Front, when the Allied invasion of France gained ground, escaping encirclement by smashing through German lines. The Germans were crushed, many of them either killed, wounded, or captured (mostly the latter). This campaign was also significant because key German generals Erwin Rommel and Gunther von Kluge killed themselves during the course of it. Background On June 6, D-Day, the Allies secured beachheads at Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Sword Beach, Utah Beach, and Omaha Beach, in northern France. The German commander in France, Erwin Rommel (commander of Army Group B), ordered for the Allies to be pinned down and driven back into the sea. The Allies did not want their offensive to be defeated, so they prepared to smash through German lines and extend their toehold in Europe all the way to Paris, liberating France. Battle American forces aimed to capture the major important port of Cherbourg and then advance south towards St.Lo. Meanwhile, Anglo-Canadian forces would seize Caen, and advance south towards Falaise and swing left. American forces would then pull up alongside and the Allied forces would advance towards Germany. However, the boacge territory hindered American process while German resistance stop the Anglo-Canadians from seizing Caen. During the fierce battle for Caen, a serious of outflanking battles were launched before a direct assault on the city resulted in its capture. American forces captured Cherbourg and then advanced south. The allies then planned a joint offensive south that would result in an American breakout. The British would launch Operation Goodwood to attract German armour around Caen, while the Americans would launch an assault a few days later south agaisnt little resistance. Unfortunatly, the Americans were not able to attack on time and the British assault was launched in isolation and met mixed results. On July 19, the Americans captured St. Lo, but the German commander Gunther von Kluge ordered a counterattack. The Americans held off the Germans, but suffered heavy losses, many of them killed by their own aircraft bombs. As the Americans contuined to push south, the US Third Army entered the battle. George S. Patton's US Third Army pushed into Brittany to seize the vital ports of Brest and Lorient. At the same time, the British and Canadians launched several operations to advance towards the city of Falaise. This joint effort resulted in the formation of the Falaise Gap. German forces fought desperately to escape before the Allies closed the gap around Falaise and sealed the pocket. Eventually, 50,000 troops surrendered. The destruction of the pocket ended the campaign and the Allied forces advanced throught the rest of France towards the Low Countries and Germany. Aftermath On August 30, Allied troops entered Paris, liberating it from the dark Nazi occupation. Thanks for the liberation went (surprisingly) to Dietrich von Choltitz, the commander of the German troops defending the city, as he refused to follow Adolf Hitler's orders to raze Paris. He was nevertheless a POW, along with tens of thousands of other German soldiers in Normandy. Category:Battles Category:Western Front